All American Girl in Love?
by chocochic
Summary: A sequel to All American Girl. It has been a few months since national heroine Samantha Madison fell in love and started going out the the President's son David. So what is Sam supposed to do when she suddenly just falls out of love with David?
1. Chapter 1

A/N (Author's Note)

This story is based on All American Girl (by Meg Cabot) which is one of my favorite books of all time. However, I was a bit disappointed in its sequel, "Ready or Not," (although it was pretty good) because of the book being a little too PG-13 (if you get my drift). So, here is _my_ version of All American Girl's sequel and it is _not related_ at all to "Ready or Not." Hope you like it!

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Top Five Things I, Samantha Madison, Did Not Consider before Saving the President's Life

5. That it would bring me so much national fame that I can't even walk down a street without someone asking me, "Aren't you the girl who saved the President?"

4. It would make Kris Parks (whom I absolutely loathe, along with all her other OMG-you-don't-wear-Abercrombie-and-you-don't-look-like-a-Vogue-model-so-you're-officially-an-outcast conniving friends) suck up to me, although I can clearly tell that through that false-sweet voice of hers, she is saying "How on earth did a skank like you become a national celebrity?"

3. That people would ask for my autograph, saying it's for their niece, though their nieces probably couldn't care less about who Sam Madison was.

2. Because I am a national celebrity, I always have to look good, or I'll have a picture of me sneezing in People or something, with a caption under it saying "God bless our national heroine!" and all day, the stupid people at my retarded school will make comments like "Gesundheit!" and giggle among themselves (like they just told some hilarious joke) whenever I pass by.

And the number-one thing I didn't consider before saving the President from a bullet fired by some maniac?

1. That I would get the chance to meet David, the President's son, fall in love with him, have him fall in love with me, and both become a national celebrity couple…although that is something that I'm regretting nowadays…due to the fact that I JUST MIGHT HAVE FALLEN OUT OF LOVE WITH HIM!

But hey, how much time does one seriously have to consider all this before one must stop some whizzing bullet from going through the President's head?

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Chapter One

When my genius little sister Rebecca told me all about the thing with frisson and how it means you love someone, I was absolutely sure that David and I were meant to be. Unfortunately, I don't think this is true anymore.

It's not like I dislike David in anyway. David is kind, thoughtful, considerate, loving, understanding…everything you could want in a boyfriend but I…just…don't…_love_ him anymore.

It's really strange. A few months ago, my heart would leap into my throat every time I saw, or even thought about David. But now, even when we kiss, I don't see the fireworks anymore. The warm, fuzzy feeling, the frisson…it's all just gone. I thought maybe this was a temporary thing. Maybe I was too stressed out lately or something, but even though it's now been a month since the frisson stopped, it's not coming back.

I've fallen out of love with David.

But I can't just say that out loud. What kind of inconsiderate girl goes, "I'm sorry, but when I'm with you, there's no frisson, no fireworks, no nothing. I simply don't love you anymore. Let's stop seeing each other. It's better for you not to be with a girl who doesn't love you back. See ya," and breaks up with a guy? It's just not…right.

Nevertheless, I can't spend the rest of my life with a guy I don't love. That's not right either. I've always imagined I would someday meet my prince in shining armor and live happily ever after with him. I thought that prince was David (minus the armor part), but I guess he's not.

So what am I supposed to do?

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I was setting my sketch book on the easel in front of me in Susan's art class when David walked in, followed by his bodyguard. He smiled at me, and I waved back at his smile. He came over, kissed me on the cheek, and sat down on his stool next to me. I touched the part of my cheek where he had kissed me. It wasn't burning hot like it should have been when I did love him. I sighed.

"Why the sigh, Sam?" David asked.

"I'm just tired, that's all."

"Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to Mao Shao's Noodles with me after art class, but if you're tired, you should go home and rest."

He was so considerate. How was I ever going to tell him I just didn't love him back? I felt so guilty. David deserved a girlfriend so much better than me. To be polite, and to ease my guilt, I said, "Oh, I'm not that tired. It's just stress from all the homework I've had. I'm pretty sure that after a relaxing hour of drawing fruit, I'll be rejuvenated. I'd love to go to Mao Shao's Noodles!" _Not._

David just laughed and said, "Okay, Mao Shao's Noodles it is! I wouldn't care if we went to Burger King instead. Just eating with you makes all the food taste great."

Great, more guilt bombs dropping down about how he loves me so but I don't love him back. I was lucky David didn't notice my grim expression.

Susan, our art teacher, clapped loudly. "Class, I'd like you all to welcome a new student. His name is Bryan MacKenzie and it he just moved to Washington D.C. all the way from Florida. Let's all make him feel welcome!" She gestured towards the door and the so-called Bryan entered.

He had brown hair which was messy but somehow perfect, chocolate-colored eyes, and a perfect tan. I eyed him curiously. Although I had decided long ago not to judge people by their looks the way Kris Parks and her stupid cheerleading-rah-rah-friends did, I had to admit Bryan was very attractive. I silently resolved to find out a bit more about this boy.

David leaned over towards my ear and said, "He looks like one of those dim-witted surfer dudes who only care about looking good to girls in bikinis."

I gave David a look saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'

David just shrugged and mouthed, "Well, he does!"

I shook my head at him and leaned forward on my stool to study Bryan more closely. I didn't notice that from my right, David was giving me a funny look.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N

Wow, I got three reviews. Muchas gracias to the people who took their time to review my story:

**-.-TangoPepperoni-.-** & **Loony** **Loony** **Loony** **Luna**, thank you for your compliments. **-.-TangoPepperoni-.-**we'll see if Sam ends up w/ David or not; however, I do agree w/ many ppl that they _do_ make a good couple. We'll see how their love life goes…hehe.

**that-girl-who-likes-dolphin****s**, yes, I know I make Sam sound a bit shallow in this story, but that was kind of the point. I already saw the other tons of All American Girl stories about Sam and David's love life or David dumping Sam but I wanted mine to be a bit different. Thanks for the comment, though.

So continues Sam's story. Has she totally lost all her fondness of David? Will she be able to patch up her love line to properly send and receive love to and from David? And _just what is up_ with that new kid Bryan?

Bonus: Get a Sneak Peak of Chapter 3 at the end!

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Chapter Two

"Sam, David," Susan called us.

I tore my gaze from the new kid, Bryan, and looked up at Susan, who seemed even taller than she already was because I was sitting on my stool.

"Bryan MacKenzie is the same age as you two are. I know that talking to you two will help him relax here in this new place than any of the other adults attempting to strike up conversation about whatever it is you teenagers talk about. School, fashion, cars, talk about whatever, but just make him feel welcome. We don't want his new life here in D.C. start out with being a loner in art class. OK? I'm counting on you two."

"Sure, Susan," I replied brightly.

I motioned at the empty stool and easel next to me and said to Bryan, who had his hands in his pockets, "You can sit here."

Bryan smiled gratefully and sat on the stool. I noticed he had perfect teeth.

Susan beamed at me and went away to lay out whatever fruit we would be drawing today.

It was silent where David, Bryan, and I were sitting.

To my right, David was adjusting and clipping his sketchbook to the easel, not saying a word. This was so unlike him. Usually, David was always the first to talk to new kids and help them fit in.

To my left, Bryan was nervously picking through the colored pencils laid before him. He examined a yellow one carefully, put it down, and picked up an orange one next. He obviously wasn't going to start speaking anytime soon, either.

I just sat in the middle of those two, alternating glances right and left to see what they were doing. After a minute, I couldn't stand the quiet.

"So you're from California, huh?" I asked Bryan, attempting to break the silence.

"Um, Florida," he replied awkwardly, like he was nervous to correct me.

"Oh duh, stupid me." _Yes, stupid Sam. Stupid Sam who doesn't know at the moment what to do with her love life, stupid Sam who even though she hasn't straightened out her relationship with David, she is already finding another guy attractive. Stupid Sam indeed._ "Uh, so how do you like D.C. so far?"

"It's okay. I could get used to the busy city life and all, but I really miss the palm trees and the sunny oceans back home."

"I suppose it is nice back in Florida."

"You've been there before?"

"Oh, yeah, I've been to Disneyland."

"Um," he looked nervous again. Was he going to correct another mistake of mine? "That's California."

"Excuse me?"

"That's California," he repeated, looking uneasy.

"I thought you said you were from Florida?" I asked, confused.

"No, I _am_ from Florida."

"Then why did you say California?"

"I meant Disneyland is in California. Disney_world_ is in Florida."

"Oh." I felt my cheeks burning. I was supposed to make this guy feel welcome but I was making myself look like an idiot instead. I kept my mouth shut and attempted to draw the pineapple Susan had now laid out.

Suddenly, David came to my rescue.

"Disney_land_, Disney_world_, same difference. They're both amusement parks related to Disney movies and cartoons, right? What's the big deal? Sheesh," David said in a fed-up tone.

Bryan stammered, "I, well, she said she went to…,"

"My name is Sam," I interrupted.

"Right, uh, Sam said she had been to Disneyland, Florida, so I was wondering if she'd been to California instead of Florida."

"Are you saying Sam is a liar?" David inquired, staring at Bryan accusingly.

"No! I just wanted to know if she'd been to the state I'd been from and, I was confused with the who Disneyland and Disneyland, I mean, world, thing and, and…" Bryan faltered under David's cold glare.

I could see that David was making Bryan more and more flustered. Why was David trying to put down the poor guy? He was new here and was probably really worried about starting out new and stuff.

"Well?" David asked.

"I…" Bryan was at a loss for words.

"David," I cut in. "I didn't mind Bryan correcting me about my stupid Disneyland mistake. I just said the wrong name, that's all. Just get off his back."

David looked at me incredulously. "Sam, I was just telling the guy off for calling you a liar!"

"He didn't call me a liar, David. You were just overreacting. Just let it go." Then I turned to Bryan and trying to be polite, said, "I'm sorry Bryan, David didn't mean it when he accused you of calling me a liar. I just made a mistake in words and you corrected me, that's all."

"I'm sorry I corrected you," Bryan said sheepishly. "I wasn't trying to call you a liar. I was just confused about which state you'd gone to is all."

"No, don't apologize. I didn't mind at all. No hard feelings, now, okay?"

"Sam," David interrupted. "The guy…"

"David!" I raised my voice, but not so much to avoid the whole studio hearing me. "_Drop it,_" I said, glowering.

David looked at my angry expression in shock. Then muttering angrily, began to furiously color the light sketch of the pineapple he had drawn.

"David!" Susan exclaimed. "You want to capture the pineapple's image in your paper, not mangle it! Be gentler with the coloring. And Sam, as much as I appreciate your effort in trying to make our new student welcome, I'd like to see some of that effort in class, as well. Get going with the drawing."

I looked at my sketchbook and saw a blank white sheet instead of the pineapple I should've been drawing. I picked up my pencil and began to sketch. To my right, David was still furiously scribbling at his pineapple despite Susan's remarks. To my left, Bryan was timidly trying to pick out a color, acting as if choosing the wrong one would result in a nuclear explosion or something. We were all tense and uneasy.

_Sheesh,_ I thought, rolling my eyes, _all this bickering over stupid Disneyland._

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A/N

Well? I know this chapter was a bit…boring (I call it "no rising action"). But it gets better! Review please! Your reviews help me a lot when I'm writing, especially constructive criticism. Thanks!

-Sneak Peak Chapter 3-

"We need to talk," David said, his tone suddenly becoming serious.

"About what?" I asked nervously.

"Well, to you, it might be nothing. But to me, it's everything," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is Meg Cabot's…the character Bryan and the plot of the story is mine.**

Sorry…I had to post this chapter a little later than I expected. Homework, projects, science fair, etc, etc…you know, all that jazz.

Well, well, well, have you checked out what's been happening? Sam is not interested in David anymore, there's that new guy Bryan, and the two guys get off on the wrong foot by arguing over _Disneyland_. How immature… Is David jealous? Does Bryan like Sam? Who does Sam like? Questions, questions, questions…all will be solved pretty soon. Read on!

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Chapter 3

After we had finished drawing, we all turned our easels to face the center of the studio as usual so we could critique each other's work. I thought I had done a rather good job on my pineapple. I had outdone myself, giving detail to the crown and shadows all over the weird-looking fruit. Susan commented on our drawings one by one.

"Mark, your pineapple is pretty well-done, but you should give the cloth that the pineapple is sitting on more detail. Without a proper background to support it, the pineapple will be floating around on the paper with no structure! You can't decorate a house without a foundation. (Similar to Susan's comments of Sam's drawing in Ready or Not by Meg Cabot)

"David, your paper is barely holding together because you colored so hard. Coloring hard can be used to define something, but please don't try to rip a hole in your drawing. If you color everything that strongly, the whole pineapple looks rigid and messy. You normally don't do this. What's gotten into you?"

"I was just tired, I guess. Wasn't really concentrating," David muttered.

Susan looked skeptic, but left him alone. She moved on to my drawing.

"Sam, well done. You're really improving in every aspect. Keep up the good work!"

I beamed. It was nice to have Susan compliment your drawing without any added negative comments.

"Bryan…" She hesitated.

I looked to my left at Bryan's drawing, and saw that it wasn't very good. You could tell that it was a pineapple, but instead of forming details, the colors just melted together to form a pineapple-shaped blob with multi-color swirls. I guess it would've looked pretty cool if this was a design class where you had to go for that swirl effect, but in still-life drawing, this technique wasn't very…useful.

Susan, who didn't play "favorites" or "go-easy on newbies," began to rattle off all of Bryan's mistakes: juxtaposition, the use of colors, lack of details, the foundation…and she went on and on. And with each remark, Bryan turned a deeper shade of pink. I felt pity rising in my heart for him. Susan had mercilessly criticized me on my first day too.

To my right, I saw David with a smirk on his face. I frowned at him. No matter how much he disliked Bryan, couldn't he at least look a little more sympathetic?

When Susan had finished telling Bryan how he could improve, she clapped her hands and announced that class was over. Before I could say any words of consolation, Bryan packed up and hurriedly left.

To my surprise, I found myself wondering, _Will he come back next week?_ What was wrong with me? Why did I care whether he came back or not? _It's probably because you feel sorry for him, that's all,_ I told myself.

I quickly forgot about Bryan as David came up to me while I was packing up.

"Ready for some Chinese cuisine?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember, you said you wanted to go to Mao Shao's?"

Oh right. I had arranged to have dinner with David.

"Right, of course. I'm really hungry, aren't you?" I asked

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go eat," David said, with a grin.

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As we were eating, David told some funny stories about how his father, the President, had started singing Elvis Presley songs while trying to dance with a reluctant First Lady. I laughed out loud. I couldn't imagine the President, who was always serious and formal, dancing while singing Elvis.

After our orders came (a Mao Shao Veggie Delight for me, Deep-fried Noodle Dumplings for David), David's laughter died away.

"We need to talk," David said, his tone suddenly becoming serious.

"About what?" I asked nervously.

"Well, to you, it might be nothing. But to me, it's everything," he said.

Oh no, David was going to ask _Why did you stick up for Bryan in art? Do you like him or something?_ Or even worse, _I noticed you don't return my ardor lately. I love you Sam, but do you love me? Are you just going out with me because you feel obligated to?_ And I wouldn't be able to lie because cursed with my red-head personality; I would blush redder than a tomato if I lied.

"Well…" David fidgeted in his seat, like he didn't know how to start.

I braced myself. _This is it. David's going to find out I don't like him anymore and break up with me. It's going to break his heart, and I'm going to lose a best friend. This is it!_ I clenched my fists under the table until my knuckles turned white.

"David, I'm sorry about how I've been…" I stammered.

I was cut short by David asking, "Will you help me host a party?" quickly in one breath.

"What?" I asked incredulously. Where did the whole love issue disappear to?

"I know, it sounds dorky, but I've never hosted a party before. And you know my birthday is coming up next month and my parents are going to let me host any kind of party I want. I decided to have a mini-golf party."

Mini-golfing. The President's son can decide any kind of party he wants for his sixteenth birthday bash and instead of a big pool party with bikini babes, he decides to go mini-golfing. Well, his geekiness _was_ what made me fall in love with him in the first place.

"What makes you think I can help with parties?" I asked uncertainly.

"Sam, you're the coolest person I've ever met," he said point-blank. I could tell he wasn't joking.

Aww, how nice. "But David, you know I'm not one of those party animals like Kris Parks."

"Exactly. I don't want this to be a hey-let's-get-drunk-and-make-out party. I want it to be a geeky one where you have _real_ fun."

Interesting. A geek party, and being a geek was what I was good at…in art, anyway. I saw a fun challenge here.

"I accept," I said, holding out my hand, all previous love-issue-anxiety having vanished.

David grinned and said, "I love you," as he shook my hand.

Although I didn't feel any frisson as he said this, I was too excited about this geek party to care.

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A/N

Just what _is_ this geek party? Will Sam's love for David re-bloom through working together on this party? What happened to Bryan? Is his part over? We shall see!

Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is Meg Cabot's…the character Bryan and the plot of the story is mine.**

Sorry about the hiatus. I won't waste your time telling you my excuse for the neglecting of updating, so jump right in! Enjoy!

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Chapter Four

"Isn't he so hot?" Lucy squealed, stroking Orlando Bloom's magazine-photo-paper-face. "I mean, look at his dreamy eyes! I could seriously, like, melt in them."

I rolled my eyes. My sister didn't particularly excel in the department of poetic description. I took a sip from my can of Dr. Pepper and thought, _why am I stuck on my bed with Lucy showing me her People magazine at my side again? Oh yeah, she told me there was a whole section about Gwen Stefani._ "Lucy, you told me there was a section on Gwen Stefani. Where is it? Can I just flip to the table of contents now?"

"Sam!" Lucy exclaimed. "You can't just read a single part in a magazine, and then toss it! You have to absorb its entire content from cover to cover. You can't miss a single caption! That's like, illegal! Oh my gosh, look at Jake Gyllenhaal!"

"Lucy! Just show me Gwen or get out! I don't care about Orlando or Jake!"

"Who's Gwen?" Lucy asked with a sarcastic smile.

"That's it. Get out, Luce!" I said, while trying to drag her off my bed.

Just then, my cell phone beeped. Someone was text messaging me. I flipped the phone open to find a message from David. It said: **Hey I got some good ideas 4 the party, but I wanted 2 check w/u 1st. Call me. Luv u!**

The last two letters of the message reminded me once again of the cruel girl I was, dating a boy I didn't even love anymore.

"Party? What party? David's having a party? I'm invited, aren't I? Can Jack come too? I'm so excited!" Lucy shrieked with delight behind me.

"Lucy, why are you reading my messages over my shoulder?" I inquired with annoyance.

"You never told me not to," Lucy said with fake innocence in her voice. "So what am I supposed to wear to this party? It is a dance party? If it is, I bought the cutest dress yesterday at the mall! It has spaghetti straps, a bubble skirt at the bottom, and pink sequins all over a black, lacey top. I swear, it is so…"

"You're not invited," I cut in, hoping to shut her up.

Lucy disregarded my words. "Of course I'm invited. It's David's party, not yours. Why wouldn't David invite me? I'm his girlfriend's sister. Now, if it's a pool party, I can wear that new string bikini I got last week at Polo Ralph Lauren…"

"It's a mini-golf party! For geeks!" I interrupted in exasperation, hoping that the mention of geeks would prevent her from coming.

"I don't care. I can bring Jack. Now, you mentioned golf. That's fine; I can wear my pink miniskirt. Of course, I'll have to go buy a matching collared shirt since that old one is so passé…"

Just as I was about to lose my temper and chuck my empty Dr. Pepper can at her, Lucy walked out of the room with her magazine, muttering about matching shoes.

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I pressed the speed dial #2 on my phone.I heard the call going through, and a click as the call was answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me. Sam."

"I know, I can tell by your sweet voice."

I waited for the rushing of blood and the frisson to come, hoping my love for David was back, but it never came. Luckily, David couldn't see my disappointed expression over the phone.

"Hello? Sam?"

"Sorry, I'm still here. So, I'd like to hear your ideas."

"Okay. Well, I was thinking, mini golf is fun, right? But it does get a little boring after the first five or six holes. So, why not mix it up a bit with true-or-false trivia questions? You know, if you answer it correctly, maybe you could get a little prize or something."

"That's a good idea, but I'm not particularly skilled in the trivia knowledge department. I'll help you make the trivia cards, but I won't be able to answer them."

"Oh Sam, I'm not going to make them jeopardy questions. They'll be totally random! Like, true or false, the President wears glow-in-the-dark boxer shorts."

I snorted with laughter. "I'm hoping the answer is false."

"Correct! He doesn't wear glow-in-the-dark boxers, he wears pink ones!"

I burst out laughing.

"Nah, just kidding," David chuckled with satisfaction from making me laugh. Then his tone of voice got a bit more serious. "True or false, David loves Sam."

My laughter stopped abruptly. My heart began to swell up with guilt like a balloon being inflated.

"Come on, take a wild guess," he said. There was but a hint of humor now left in his voice. "Well?"

"True," I said with a grimace he couldn't see. Meanwhile, all I could think was, _but does Sam love David?_

"Correct! David loves Sam!" he exclaimed, now laughing. "Now you ask me vice versa."

I inhaled sharply. I really didn't want to do this. I would eventually die of guilt from wasting David's time by having him being with a girl who didn't love, nor deserved him. Or I would die of guilt from breaking David's heart. Neither choice was very appealing to me.

"True or false, Sam loves David," I slowly asked, my heart getting heavier with each word said.

"True as true can be!" answered David instantly.

Thoughts were wildly racing through my head.

_This is your chance! Now! Say the answer is incorrect and tell him the truth! Free him of the cuffs that chain him to a girl who doesn't love nor deserve him! Let him go!_

_I can't bear to break his heart! I know he loves me a lot. To break up with him would tear him apart!_

_Better to break up now than to do it later when his love for you has deepened even more! The deeper the love, the deeper the wound! Just end it now! _

"Well? Was my answer correct?"

_End it! Don't! Do it now! Don't break his heart! Let him go!_

I took a deep breath and said, "Your answer was…"

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A/N

To be continued on chapter five! Will Sam break David's heart? Find out in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N

So did Sam break up with David? Don't look at me! Read on!

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is Meg Cabot's…the character Bryan and the plot of the story is mine.**

XOXO

"Your answer was… It was…" I stammered. I was nervously looking to my left and right as if some object in my room would give me quick advice about what to do with my love life. Then my eyes involuntarily landed on the White-out helmet David had given me, resting by my bedside lamp. I was once again reminded of David's love for me.

"Sam? Are you still there?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, bad connection. My phone isn't receiving your signal very well," I lied. "Your answer was correct," I quickly added, through gritted teeth.

"A point goes to David for that correct answer!" He said cheerfully. He couldn't see me at the other side of the conversation hitting myself over the head with a contorted expression.

"Um David, I have to go now. My parents are calling me to dinner." Another lie… well, it's not like I haven't lied to David a hundred times already, telling him I love him and such.

"Oh okay. I'll call you later and we can meet up to make the trivia cards."

"Sure, can't wait." That was like, what, the third lie I told in this conversation? "Bye, David."

"Bye Sam, I love you."

"I... love you too," I stammered.

As he hung up with a click, my ability of self-control shut off with a click as well. I collapsed onto my bed and started pounding my sheets in frustration.

"Why can't I just break up with him and get it over with?" I hollered at myself. Then, I banged my head into the pillow repeatedly, muttering with each muffled thump, "Why… _thump… _can't… _thump… _I… _thump… _just… _thump… _let… _thump… _him… _thump… _go?"

"Let who go?" a voice interrupted my moment of self-thumping chaos. It was Rebecca. She was standing at my desk, staring at me with raised eyebrows.

My fleeting rush of frustration vanished as it was replaced by fatigue and a throbbing headache. I looked up from my pillow dejectedly and sighed, "Nobody. Who told you to come in my room anyway?"

"I need some glue for my Cytochrome c protein model. I am trying to convince mom and dad that the similarity of this protein between humans and rhesus monkeys clearly shows that we evolved from the same ancestor," Rebecca said matter-of-factly.

"I don't have any glue. Now go be Einstein elsewhere, you little maniac." I weakly waved my hand towards the door as to shoo her away.

She didn't seem to particularly mind that I was being rude, but as she was walking out, she stopped at the doorway and said sarcastically, "Funny how as 'maniac' of the family, _I'm _not the one thumping my head on a pillow whilebabbling incoherently." Then she left to ask Lucy for glue.

"Very funny," I mumbled.

Then after lying on my bed like a log for ten minutes, I weakly stood up and stumbled towards the kitchen cabinet. I needed an aspirin.

XOXO

"Hello, Sam." Susan greeted me warmly. "You're a bit early today. Go ahead and start setting up."

As Susan went off to fetch some other still-life object we would draw today, I ambled towards my stool and easel… to find that Bryan was already there.

"Hi Sam," he said with a warm smile. Once again, I was impressed with his pearly whites. His messy brown hair seemed a tiny bit neater than last time.

"Hi, Bryan. Did you get a haircut?"

His hand automatically went up to touch his hair. "Oh yeah, I got it trimmed over the weekend. Only a little though. I'm surprised you even noticed. I guess good artists notice stuff like that."

I unexpectedly blushed at his compliment.

"So how was your week?" Bryan asked politely.

_Terrible. I spent the whole week with a headache trying to think of what to do with David, who loves me so much, but I don't love him back anymore. And that is really strange, because I used to be infatuated with him and there was a whole lot of whatchamacallit… oh yeah, frisson. But now, the frisson is gone, and I don't know why, and I want to set David free from a girl who doesn't deserve him, but I don't want to hurt his feelings and… _Of course I couldn't tell that to Bryan.

"Fine, thanks for asking," was my short, simple, and false answer.

Just then, David entered the studio and smiled brightly when he saw me… but not before shooting a look at Bryan, who slightly cringed.

I pretended not to have noticed David's brief show of hostility towards Bryan, and said "Hey David, how are those trivia questions coming along?"

"Pretty well, I'm planning to ask everybody this same question: True or false, David and Sam love each other very much."

I must have looked mortified, because David laughed and said, "Just kidding, you know I would never embarrass you like that."

I smiled and turned to my left to get my sketchbook. I suddenly noticed that Bryan was staring at David with a dark look on his face. When he saw me looking at him, he gave a quick smile and turned to his easel. I blinked and frowned. Though it was very brief, I was certain Bryan had been staring at David with a look of hatred, not fondness.

The idea was dismissed as quickly as it had entered my mind as more people began to come in. Soon, I was preoccupied with David telling me about his trivia questions and the possibility of making the party a costume party. However, the memory of Bryan's dark stare at David was hadn't completely vanished. Though it had been dismissed, the memory was nevertheless still lurking in the corner of my brain… and who knew when it would pop up to bother me again?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is Meg Cabot's…the character Bryan and the plot of the story is mine.**

**Important Note: **I'm sorry, but I forgot to mention at the beginning of the story that this is taking place during summer vacation. No school in the meantime for our characters! I apologizefor any confusion.

I'm glad to see some new reviewers! Thank you so much to all who reviewed! However, I'm seeing that the difference between the number of hits and reviews is very big and noticeable! Please take 20 seconds of your life to write a comment! Your criticism makes the story better! Everyone appreciates a little R & R.

Want to know something funny? I never thought I'd apply something I learned in Biology class to this story. Remember Rebecca's thing with Cytochrome c in chapter four? Yup, that's from Bio. LOL who would've thought that bio would be useful in AAG in Love?

XOXO

Chapter Six

"YOU WHAT?" I hollered.

"Ssh! Shut up! Mom and Dad might hear!" Lucy shushed me.

"But Luce, you said you joined the library's teen summer book club, not some model agency!" I loudly whispered.

"Listen, it makes a good part-time job with considerable pay. Plus, it won't even interfere that much with studying time either when school starts again. And having people make me look beautiful in make-up and clothes certainly isn't a turn-off either. I _really _love the job, Sam. But if mom and dad heard that I was working as a model, they would pull me out of the job quicker than you could say 'Vogue.' Not to mention, they would take me out of cheerleading and make me take study sessions at some who-knows-where tutoring club," Lucy said earnestly.

"But Lucy, you seriously _do _need to mind your grades. College is more important than appearing in _Playboy_," I shot back, trying to knock some sense into her.

Lucy glowered at my last comment. "_I am NOT going to be a strip model, Sam,_" she enunciated clearly and angrily.

Whoa, Lucy was serious about this whole thing. "Yikes, sorry Luce, I didn't mean it that way. My point was that you can't let this model thing take control over your grades once school restarts. If your grades started slipping, mom would know something's up for sure. Seeing as how you won't have anymore teen summe book club for an excuse... You'd get in even more trouble."

"I promised myself I would quit if it started affecting my grades. I'll even quit cheerleading this year if I have to balance modeling and schoolwork," Lucy said solemnly.

I was taken aback at Lucy's statement. Lucy's beautiful eyes were strong with determination. This was the first time Lucy cared so much about something and had figured out a plan to achieve it.

"You're serious about this?" I asked. I still half-expected her to laugh and say the whole thing was a joke.

"Dead serious," she said, not smiling. Her expression softened, and she pleaded, "So please, Sam. Don't tell mom and dad. I also would really appreciate it if you just went along with my 'book club' thing once in a while, so that mom won't be suspicious."

Well, Lucy _had _broken up with Jack for me that last time (though they had gotten back together, but still), and she _was_ a totally awesome, kick-A sister. Isighed and said, "Of course, Lucy. Whatever you say."

Lucy squealed and gave me a hug. "Thanks so much, Sam!"

When she had pulled back, I asked her, "So, how did it start? Your modeling career?"

"Well, I was at the Static music store last week, and this woman came up to me, asking if I would be interested in modeling. I declined, but she gave me a business card and told me to drop by if I had a change of mind. The next day, I figured a shot at it wouldn't hurt, and I went. The people there wanted to do a camera test on me. So they had this professional make-up artist work on me, then I got to wear this awesome shirt, and some really hot jeans. Then, they took me to an actual photo-shoot site where they took pictures of me to see how photogenic I was and all. It was like being a celebrity at her photo-shoot! I really loved it, Sam! And the people there were so nice… they said I should seriously consider a career in modeling because it turns out my pictures all came out really well. I extremely loved it all. I've been going there every few days so far, just watching others work, or getting photos taken myself. I've had three photo-shoots so far," Lucy recounted.

"So that's what you were doing at your '_book club_,'" I smiled slyly.

"It's so much fun. I'd still do it without the money!"

"Lucy!" Mom's voice interrupted our conversation. "Please come put away your magazines!"

"Got to go," Lucy said. "Thanks so much Sam," she smiled. After giving me another quick hug, Lucy scurried out of my room.

I sighed and lay on my bed. Lucy was going to be a model! She sure was born to be one, I thought. With her perfect features and perfect body, she could have been Miss America, no, Miss Universe! I hoped mom and dad could support her, though. It would make Lucy feel a whole lot better about not having to lie about a book club.

XOXO

The next day, I received a text from David. **Can u meet 6 today 2 help w/ the party stuff? Ur welcome 2 stay 4 dinner. Call me so I'll know 2 pick u up.**

I didn't particularly feel like going through another "true or false, you love me" conversation like last time, so I just text-messaged him back. **I'm free. I'll b waiting 5:45. Can't wait.**

I had another three hours to kill, so I went out in search of David's birthday present. His party was in a week, and I still hadn't gotten him his present. I wanted to get him something that wasn't all lovey-dovey, but I didn't want to buy him something that screamed "I don't love you!" either.

I started at Static, the music store. CD's of his favorite bands would be too bland for a gift. His friends might be getting him the same thing, and I didn't want to get him something too plain. I was his girlfriend, for crying out loud. David probably expected something more special from me. It was in the store next to Static that I found David a gift.

The store was small and looked unnoticeable next to the bright lights in Static. Its tiny size made it look overwhelmed by the big music store beside it. It was called Good Laffs, and the only reason I entered it was because the name reminded me of David's good humor.

The store was dingy, and not well lit. Inside, Good Laffs looked more like a wooden cabin with goods stacked up in the place of bunk beds. Dirty Laffs was a more suitable name for this store because it contained merchandise like cups, shirts, and bumper stickers with vulgar messages that were meant to be funny. The owner was sleeping at the counter, probably not expecting any customers. He was a bald man of considerable size with pierced ears and tattoos on his biceps. He looked more like a gang member than a store manager to me. I was about to leave when a black t-shirt caught my eye.

It bore a message that read: _Roses are red, violets are blue. My girlfriend loves me… well, you should get one too!_

I laughed quietly to myself. It was perfect. It would make David laugh too, and whatever made him laugh, was good enough for me. The price wasn't bad either. I decided to throw in a couple of big cookies along with the shirt when I would be giving it to him at the party.

Ignoring the idea that this would be the first thing David would trash in the case that I gathered enough courage to break up with him, I found the right size, and walked towards the counter to pay.

I was a bit hesitant about waking the scary "gang" owner. He looked like he could strangle me with one hand if he was woken from his sleep. I timidly stammered, "Um… excuse me," then I quickly stepped back a few steps in case his hand shot out towards my bare neck.

He merely grunted, otherwise not showing any other sign that he was aware of my presence.

"Excuse me!" I said a bit louder.

No response.

"You have a customer!" I screamed.

He awoke with a start. "Huh? Huh? What?" He rubbed his eyes and frantically looked around. As his eyes slid into focus, he noticed me staring at him strangely with a t-shirt at my side.

"I'm sorry; I must have dozed off a bit. I do apologize. How may I help you, miss?" he said politely. He sounded quite the opposite of the skull-crushing, gang member I had taken him for.

"I'd like to purchase this t-shirt," I said, holding out the black t-shirt and a twenty-dollar bill.

He rang up the shirt, then handed me my change and the t-shirt in a plastic bag. "Have a good day," he said with a smile.

I smiled back and said, "Thank you."

As I walked out, I saw him rest his head on the counter again, returning to his sleep I had interrupted.

XOXO

After exiting Good Laffs, I went to Art Depot to buy some wrapping paper, a gift bag, and a blank card. At home, I wrapped the t-shirt, and then started making a birthday card for David.

I drew a comical illustration of a person with a pineapple for a head wearing the White-out helmet David had given me. And to top it all off, I drew Joe the crow perched on the helmet. At the top, I wrote Title: Sam's self-portrait, and at the bottom, wrote HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID in colorful letters. David would understand how the pineapple, the helmet, and Joe were related to me. Hopefully, the card would make him laugh like the t-shirt will.

I pondered for a while before inscribing inside the card: Happy birthday to the most amazing guy I've ever known. I hope today is full of joy and all your wishes come true. Love, Sam.

I knew the message was a bit tasteless, considering how I should've written a bit more mush than just "Love, Sam." But I didn't know what else to write that wouldn't give David hints about the whole no-love thing. I mean, too much mush, and he would know something was up, since I was never a girl to overly express my feelings of love anyways.

XOXO

The ringing of the doorbell and the sound of my mom saying, "Oh hi, David! Sam will be right down." signified David's arrival. I looked at the clock and saw that he was right on time. After putting the card in an envelope and licking it shut, I put David's present away and went outside my room to greet David.

He grinned when he saw me, and said, "Hey Sam, you all set?"

"Yeah," I replied. I turned to my mom and said, "I'll be back after dinner, okay?"

Mom replied, "Sure, honey." My mom was never suspicious when David and I were together due to the constant presence of bodyguards nearby. Her suspicions about Lucy and Jack… well, that was another story.

After bidding my mom goodbye, I got in David's limo and we were off to David's house.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own All American Girl. I never did and I never will. Everything you recognize is Meg Cabot's. The character Bryan and the plot of the story are mine. Also, the trivia facts in this chapter belong to Amusing Facts dot com and iPromote Media Inc.

XOXO

Chapter Seven

"Dinner is served!" David exclaimed, serving me one of Chef Carl's awesome burgers with a flourish.

With a smile and thanks, I munched on the burger until David came back with flashcards, sheets of trivia questions, and markers.

We both then started multitasking by eating burgers and writing the questions on the flashcards at the same time.

Some questions were very strange, yet interesting.

_-True or false: The smallest stamp in the world was issued in 1863 by the Columbian state of Bolivar and measured 9.5 x 8mm. _

_-True or false: In 1958, the Crayola crayon color "Prussian Blue" was changed to "Midnight Blue" by the request of teachers as kids could not relate to Prussian history._

_-True or false: In China, September 20 is "Love Your Teeth Day."_

Then there were questions that were just plain gross.

_-True or false: A 13-year-old boy in India produced winged beetles in his urine after hatching the eggs in his body._

_-True or false: Approximately 75 of human poop is made of water._

"David, these questions are really interesting. How are you going to ask everyone at the party all these questions?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking of giving everybody one card each as they go through the first hole. What they do is they either circle "true" or "false," write their names, and drop it in a box I'm going to prepare. At the end of the party, I'll pick out several random cards, like a raffle, and whichever one of those cards were answered correctly, the person gets a small prize. They can get a movie pass or something," David replied thoughtfully.

"That's a good idea," I agreed. "But how will you remember every single answer to every question. I mean, all the cards will have different questions and answers, won't they? Will you have an answer sheet with you?"

Then David smiled one of his trademark secretive smiles that had made me fall in love with him at the beginning. My heart used to thump like crazy at these smiles, but I got no faster pulse of any sort.

He simply said, "Facts."

I blinked in confusion. I repeated my question, thinking he misunderstood me the first time.

David grinned again and repeated, "Facts. Not questions. Facts."

I blinked again. "You're joking, David. You jest."

David shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh.

"You mean to tell me that the answers to all of these questions are _true_? Even the one about the boy in India whose pee contained beetles?"

He nodded.

Eew… but yet, wow. David must have done quite some research to get all these… "interesting" facts.

"But don't tell anyone at the party that," David added. "I want to keep them guessing at these strange questions."

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. The facts were just so strange, and David was weird to have thought of using them in the first place.

XOXO

An hour or two of making trivia cards, joking, laughing, and polishing off our burgers went by. When my laugh from David's previous joke had subsided, I decided to ask him something which I hoped would give me a clue as to how to solve my "don't-love-him-anymore" problem.

"Hey David," I said. "I want to ask you something."

"Well, shoot," he said, as he looked up from his trivia card to meet my eyes.

"Say there was somebody you really cared for, one that you met along the road of your life… but one day that person abandons you, never to return. What would you do?" I inquired carefully.

"Never to return, huh?" he muttered. "Well, at first I would most definitely be heartbroken…"

Just what I was afraid of. That one word "heartbreak" was what kept me from breaking up with David. The elastic string that keeps the ball from flying off from the paddle in paddleball, that is, if I were the ball and David was the paddle.

David continued, "But I can't wallow in sorrow forever. I mean, I have my own life… one that I used to live before I knew the person. I would somehow find the strength to get back on my feet and continue with my life. I can't allow one heartbreak to drag me down for the rest of my life. Yeah, that's what I would do. Get back up and keep going."

I was beginning to see a solution here. David was strong, and he didn't depend on me to sustain his precious life. He would just go on without me, and I would go my separate way.

I was deep in thought when David suddenly said suspiciously, "Does this, by any chance, apply to us, Sam?"

Darn it, he was smart. David had caught a whiff on something.

With concern, David said, "You should know me well enough to know that I wouldn't want to hurt you in any way, Sam, much less break up with you."

"I know," I answered meekly.

"Unless… you're trying to break up with me…" David said slowly.

I quickly averted his gaze and pretended to be absorbed with a particular question on a card.

"You know, Sam," David murmured, "if you wanted personal space, all you needed was to ask. If you feel like I'm suppressing you in any kind of way, just let me know, and I'll back off. Is there something I've done that's been pissing you off lately? It's a free country, Sam. You're not bound to me like you're married, or anything. I didn't know you'd been feeling that way, Sam."

Gee… David was being so serious about this… and so considerate. How could I ever break up with a selfless guy like this? I mean, even a celebrity wouldn't be able to break up with a guy like David, and breaking up is what they're best at.

"No, David, it's nothing like that," I assured him. "The whole question was just one that I asked out of curiosity. It has nothing to do with us," I lied.

David still looked a bit worried.

"Really," I reassured him. "But I'll remember in the future that you're so kind and caring that you would be okay with breaking up, if it meant me being happy," I added with a smile.

I decided then and there to just stay with David, even if it meant spending my life with a guy I didn't truly love. David was such a great guy, and I didn't want to lose him as a friend by breaking up. I would just be there for him, like he would for me… unless _he_ called it quits. In which case, I would back off like David said he would. It would be a little difficult, but I would try. And who knew? Maybe the frisson and love might come back after a while, or something?

I leaned over to give David a peck on his cheek, but then David, sensing what I was about to do, turned his face ever so slightly so that my lips would meet his.

Our lips brushed against each other's for a moment. There was no frisson, and I didn't expect any this time. Then David leaned over to kiss me a bit more, and as kiss became a little more passionate (on David's part, not really mine), I thought I felt a bit of tingling in my spine.

Was it frisson? I desperately wished. Everything would just go back to normal if my love for David returned, and we could just live happily ever after. But before the kiss continued a bit longer for me to make sure it was frisson, our kiss was interrupted by the First Lady.

"I brought you two some ice cream," she declared in her lovely, kind voice. "It's gelato, and it's one of the best I've ever… oh," her voice trailed off when she saw us quickly pulling apart, blushing. "Did I, ah, barge in at the wrong time?" she asked with a mischievous grin, which resembled that of David's.

"No, no, mom," David quickly answered. "Everything's fine. Thanks for the gelato, you can put it here on the coffee table…" he jabbered, still blushing.

After putting the gelato on the coffee table, the First lady said to David, "Now David, I don't want to hear you're bothering Sam in any way." Then she turned to me and said, still smiling her playful grin, "Sam, dear, let me know if David pesters you in any way."

I nodded with a polite smile.

As she left, the First Lady added in her Mom-tone, "Play nice, both of you."

When she left, David and I exchanged glances, and then burst out laughing. We didn't know what there was to laugh about, yet there we were, clutching our stomachs and giggling like a pair of maniacs. It was nice, sitting on the White House living room carpet, laughing with David. At the moment I didn't really care whether I loved David or not. All I cared about was that David, the greatest friend anyone could have, was having a good time with me.

David stopped laughing and said, "Now… where were we?"

Before he could start kissing me again, I turned to the gelato, and said, "You know, this does look good!"

If David felt disappointment in losing the chance of another kiss, he didn't show it. We spent the rest of the evening eating the gelato (which was delicious, by the way) and finishing the trivia cards.

When it was time for me to go, David dropped me off and gave me a short good night kiss at my porch.

David was still in the limo, waiting for me to go in safely first. I waved, though I wasn't sure if he saw me or not, because of the limo's stained windows, then entered my house.

I was greeted by Lucy, who ran to me the moment I walked in, whispering frantically, "Oh Sam, what am I going to do?"

XOXO

A/N

Well, Sam has decided to just not break up with David…

But if it was that easy for her… there would be no story… ("Wink-wink")

And what the heck is the matter with Lucy?

All to be revealed in the next chapter! **R&R please!**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N

I have now started to reply to my reviewers. For now, I gave each reviewer one reply. Please keep those reviews coming! They really encourage me to write more. Well, school has started. How are y'all doing with school? (Unless you don't go to school.) As for me, I am buried in homework, but I still try to spare time to write at least a sentence a day. I promise to complete this story and not leave it hanging and open for two years or something. It's my first fanfic… it's the least I can do.

Okay, now I'm just babbling. I won't bother you anymore. Please, go ahead. Read!

XOXO

Chapter Eight

"Lucy, what's wrong?" I asked in confusion as she pulled me into my bedroom without answering. She gestured for me to sit down on the bed. Puzzled, I slowly sank down while Lucy locked the door after making sure that the rest of the family was out of earshot.

After confirming that the coast was clear, Lucy collapsed on the floor and desperately hugged a bewildered Manet. She looked like one of those beautiful princesses in distress from fairy tales. "Sam, what am I going to do? You have to help me. I'm so dead…" Her babble got quieter and quieter until it became audible. Yet, Lucy still moved her lips silently, muttering to herself, like someone had pressed the "mute" button.

Suspicion, shock, then horror… The three hit me one by one in that order. "Oh my goodness, Lucy… Don't tell me…" I muttered disbelievingly.

Lucy nodded gravely and said, "It's just as I feared. The worst has come."

Horrified, I said, "You've done it now, Luce. You've finally gone too far with Jack and now you've gotten yourself pregnant! How many times did mom and dad warn you? You have got to…"

Whap! My frantic rambling was cut short by Lucy chucking a pillow at my head.

"Ew! What are you talking about? Sam, you're so sick! What kind of slut do you take me for?"

Astonished and relieved at the same time, I asked tentatively, "So you're not pregnant?"

"Heck, no!" Lucy shrieked indignantly.

"Thank God, then what are you so uptight about?" I inquired.

Lucy's expression returned from indignation to worry. "They, the people at the model agency, I mean, said that in order for me or my pictures to get anywhere, I have to sign a Talent and Model Release form. And since I'm a minor…" she trailed off.

"Mom and dad are going to have to sign their consents," I finished for her.

Lucy nodded sadly.

"Just tell them," I said matter-of-factly.

"I can't do that!" Lucy cried. "They'll be mad enough that I lied about a book club in the first place! I'll probably be sent to some camp or summer school so that I won't misbehave the rest of the summer!"

"Well then, what else are you going to do?"

"I… don't know," Lucy said with a sigh. "I just wish I didn't have to give it up," she said quietly.

"Here's an idea," I said. "Since they're bound to find out sooner or later, you should just confess."

"But…" Lucy interjected.

I silenced her with my hand and continued, "This is better because they'll be less angry if you honestly confess instead of them finding out for themselves that you lied. Just tell them the truth, and mention everything you said to me the last time. You know, about how much you love the job and you really want to dedicate to it and stuff."

I could tell that Lucy was rapidly taking mental notes on all this. That was something she didn't do often. Work her brains, I mean. She never really uses her brain, except for performing daily bodily functions, or what she's going to wear the next day, or whatever.

"Oh, and be sure to emphasize the fact that you plan to quit if it interferes with grades. That's important since it shows mom and dad that you're willing to be really responsible about all this," I added.

"Responsibility… I'll show them responsibility," Lucy said with determination.

"Another offer you might want to make is to actually take them with you to your workplace. You know, to show them how awesome it is and prove that you're not some Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. And I think that should about drive your point straight home," I wrapped up.

Lucy sprang up and gave me a suffocating hug. "Thanks so much, Sam! I love you!" she squealed. "If this works, I promise to take you shopping with my first paycheck."

"Thanks, but I'll take a rain check on the shopping spree." Shopping with Lucy meant twenty-four hours cruising the mall, stopping at every single store. Plus, I was satisfied that I was able to help Lucy, since she had helped me realize how much I love, I mean, "loved," David a while ago.

When Lucy was about to leave, I added, "Oh and Luce, talk to them in the morning. You know how mom's a morning person."

"Morning, got it," Lucy replied. "I'll totally make this up to you, Sam. I owe you so much." Then she skipped out to read her new Cosmo, her worries long gone. It must be nice to be Lucy… being so happy all the time and all.

XOXO

Whether Lucy's morning talk with mom and dad had succeeded or not, I didn't find out. That was because I had overslept, and I was going to be late for Susan's morning class. David was going to be picking me up today, and he was due any minute now. I threw on some jeans, and a No Doubt T-shirt. I picked up my canvas bag for the art class, and I was good to go.

"Samantha, at least have some toast before you leave," Theresa said.

"No time… but I'll take these." I grabbed two doughnuts lying on the table and bolted out the door, ignoring Rebecca's screech, "Hey, those were mine!"

I was outside just in time to see David's limo pull up.

After a quick smooch for a greeting, David and I began talking and eating breakfast at the same time.

The ride was short. I finished the last of my doughnuts just as we arrived at the studio.

Right as we entered the studio, I began to walk backwards, not taking my eyes off Joe the crow. I had forgotten my daisy helmet at home, and my head now felt very bare and vulnerable without it. When I heard David say, "Hi, Susan," I turned around to greet her as well… and ended up knocking into her.

The paintbrushes Susan had been carrying went flying into the air and clattered on the floor. Apologizing with a blush, I quickly helped her pick them all up.

"Hello to you too, Sam," Susan said sarcastically.

"Hi," I muttered. After picking up all the paintbrushes and handing them back to Susan, I went to my seat. Bryan was already there, and David had finished setting up as well.

As I was propping up my sketchbook on the easel, I noticed that a folded piece of paper lay on the easel. Curious, I unfolded it to find a small heart drawn on it.

I smiled. David had given me one of these before, when we had decided to go out with each other while passing notes in these very stools some time ago.

I threw a sidelong glance at David. He was absorbed in sorting his colored pencils, and gave no sign of recognition that I had read the note. _He's probably pretending not to notice,_ I thought to myself, and tucked the note in my pocket.

XOXO

Two hours later, we were packing up and getting ready to leave. I didn't have to hitch a ride with David this time because Theresa was coming to get me.

"Hey Sam, I'll see you later," David said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"You're leaving already?" I asked. David and I normally hung out in Static until our rides came.

"Yeah, my dad has this thing today and I have to attend." I could tell he was grimacing at the thought of having to stand around in a tux around old people all day long.

"Okay. Well, have fun. I'll see you next week. Your birthday party is coming up in ten days, too, don't forget!"

"I definitely won't forget that," he grinned. "Oh, wait. Susan!" He called. "Susan, I have this aunt of mine over for a weekend, and she's a really great artist. I'd really like for you to meet her. She's outside, in the car, waiting."

When Susan agreed, David exited the studio with Susan at his side, waving at me cheerfully.

After David left, I finished up my packing and got ready to leave. I was the last to leave to the studio… or so I thought.

"Um, Sam, wait!"

I jumped at the voice, startled. I looked back to see Bryan still at his easel, packing up. So I hadn't been alone in the studio.

"Yeah?" I answered with a smile. I was hoping to be friends with Bryan as well. He just seemed really nice, and I wanted to smooth things back between him and David.

"Um… I was wondering…" Bryan stammered, blushing.

"Yes?" I said, curious.

"Would you like to go out with me?" he blurted out.

Silence. "Um… excuse me?" I asked, not sure that I had heard correctly.

"Would you like to go out with me?" Bryan repeated more slowly, fidgeting. "Didn't you get my note with the heart on it?"

I chuckled, thinking this was a joke, and said, "_You_ sent that note? Bryan, you know I have a boyfriend. David."

"But still… can you give me a chance?" he asked.

I stopped smiling. Forcing on a more polite tone, I said, "Bryan, I'm sorry but no. I already have a boyfriend. I can't go out with you. Not that I don't like you or anything. I think you're really nice, but I won't go out with you. Don't waste your time on me_. I'm taken_." I emphasized the last two words.

"So?"

I frowned. Was this guy kidding? "What do you mean, so?" I shot back at him, no longer polite.

Timidly, he whispered, "David doesn't have to know…"

I exhaled loudly in exasperation. This guy wasn't getting the point. "Bryan, I repeat, I already have a boyfriend, and I'm not about to start cheating on him. I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong girl," I spoke clearly.

"Please?" he asked, sounding like a kid begging his mother for a toy.

Fed up, I said, "I'm not having this conversation anymore." I was about to turn towards the door, when his voice suddenly stopped me.

"Come on, enough with the games, Sam. You don't love him."

I froze. I hadn't even turned my back halfway on him.

Something about his voice was suddenly different. It was colder, full of much more confidence than the timid, embarrassed Bryan I had just been talking to.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired callously, while my brain was frantically wondering, _how the heck did he know?_

"Any observant person can tell that you don't love David nearly as much as he loves you. You're just playing along with the guy. Why you still stay with him, only you would know. Maybe you just like toying with his feelings, or maybe you just feel too sorry to break up." He observed coolly.

He penetrated my deepest secret straight through.

But still, why was he doing this?

Putting on a kinder tone, I asked, "Bryan, what's wrong with you? You're not the Bryan I know. The Bryan I know isn't like this. He's kind, polite, and cheerful. Come back to your old self." I was hoping he would snap out of whatever kind of trance he was in.

It didn't work.

He only snorted and replied, "Who are you to judge what my 'old self' is like? Have you really known me that long? Who cares that I put on a mask to disguise myself as the nice, timid, goody-goody little boy? I can get closer to people that way before doing what I want with them."

I gaped at him, shocked. So he was really two-faced, this Bryan.

"But enough about me, Sam," he said. "Let's talk more about you. Tell the truth. You don't really love David."

"That's not true, I… I…" I stammered, looking for words that wouldn't come. I just ended up blushing to the tip of my hairline. It was a sign that I was lying.

Bryan noticed this and smirked. "See?" he said. "You're blushing, which means you're lying."

Having nothing more to say, I just glared at him. "You despicable jerk," I said coldly.

Then, I turned around to leave… and saw David at the doorway, staring at me with an unreadable, yet harsh expression.

"David," I whispered in horror.

David just stared.

XOXO

A/N

OMG, David found out!

I'm sorry about boring you with the whole Lucy and the model thing at the beginning. But I think I made it up to you with the ending.

So what's Sam going to do now? Everything's ruined because of Bryan, who turned out to be a real jerk!

Anticipate the next chapter!

(Hehe, I like leaving you guys hanging.)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N

Gasp! Many of you are shocked at what happened in the last chapter.

I bet you're feeling so sorry for David, while you want to rip Bryan from limb to limb, or whatever.

Well, let's see what Sam is going to do about all this.

Don't miss the Sneak Peek at Chapter Ten at the end!

XOXO

Chapter Nine

David just stood there, staring.

As for me, I didn't know what to do except glare back at Bryan, who was smirking evilly.

The three of us were silent.

I looked back at David helplessly, at a loss for words.

Finally, David walked into the studio.

"David…" I whispered almost pleadingly.

He just brushed right past me without a glance nor a word.

My right shoulder, which David's arm had brushed against, felt numb.

Behind me, David muttered, "I forgot my sketchbook," and picked it up.

He walked past me again, this time heading for the door.

"David, wait…" I pleaded.

He walked out the studio without a backward glance.

I ran after him, leaving behind my canvas bag as well as Bryan.

I caught up to him halfway down the stairs. I grabbed his left arm in desperation.

He finally stopped.

"I have to go back," he murmured. "My aunt is waiting for me in the limo."

"She has Susan to talk to for a while. David, look, I can explain…"

"Explain what?" David shouted. He whipped around to face me, and his green eyes bore into mine.

Seeing at how taken aback and frightened I was at his sudden outburst of anger, David softened and said softly, "I'm sorry."

Tears were now filling up my eyes. I didn't know how to handle this. "Sorry for what, David? You shouldn't be sorry. _I'm sorry._ But back at the studio, with Bryan, that wasn't my fault. You saw how I refused him. I'm not cheating on you, and I never will. Don't misjudge me for what that jerk did…" I rambled, hoping to steer clear of the last bit between Bryan and me, about me not loving David.

David wasn't fooled. He got right to the point. Quietly, he asked, "True or false, Sam loves David."

I froze and looked into David's eyes. What was I supposed to say to that?

I could tell that he had been clearly hurt by what he had heard back there. Could I afford to pretend to love him? Could I bandage his wound just for now, while knowing in the corner of my mind that it had the chance of bleeding again if this kind of situation recurred? Or could I just end it now, inflicting him with a deeper wound that would slowly, but surely heal over time?

Could I put up with hurting David again?

Did I have the guts to hurt him a second time?

"False. I'm sorry, the answer's false. I don't love you… not anymore," I choked, looking down quickly, afraid to see David's expression. "But I really _did_ love you at first, David. I want you to know that I never dated you because I wanted to toy around with your feelings. That was _never_ my intention…"

"You felt sorry for me. That's why you kept this relationship going," David ended the last part of my sentence I never planned to say out loud. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry I was such a burden to you, Sam. I think it was smart of you to tell me honestly now. I'm sorry for making you waste your time with a guy you didn't love…"

The iron grip of guilt and shame squeezed my heart tighter and tighter with each word he said. "No, David, it wasn't your…" I started to say.

"And I'm sorry for wasting _my _time with a girl who didn't love me back," he finished.

The grip of guilt disappeared as an icicle was driven through my heart instead. _I was wasting his time… He thought the time spent with me was a waste…_

When I looked up, David was already gone, and I was alone in the stairwell.

"Well, well, well…" A voice pierced the silence.

It was Bryan. He descended the stairs one by one until he was three steps above me, his tall height casting a shadow on the wall.

"It seems the first son has been rejected. Aren't you so glad that you got him off your back?" He talked as if I had just completed a task I'd been putting off until now.

"Have you been eavesdropping all this time?" I inquired coldly.

"Maybe. Strangely, you don't seem very happy with the fact that you got rid of him. It's probably just a temporary side effect. You'll get over it soon enough," he answered casually, inspecting his fingernails.

Anger rose inside of me, engulfing the remorse I had just felt a minute ago. I've never been much of a violent person, really. The most I ever did in a fight was to chuck a dictionary at Lucy, which missed her by a mile anyways. But when I punched Bryan as hard as I could, I felt satisfaction as I watched him go sprawling across the stairs.

Ignoring his groans, I stormed out of there and saw Theresa pull up.

XOXO

As I stood in the kitchen, icing my throbbing knuckles, the satisfaction of punching Bryan was long gone. Instead, it was replaced by a feeling I couldn't quite name.

Emptiness? Somehow, it didn't feel right breaking up with David.

_You didn't love him,_ I reminded myself. _You're only feeling sad because you just lost a dear friend. You never meant for it to happen this way, but at least now it's over._

Yet, I could still hear David's words echoing in my ears. He thought the time with me had been a waste. I wasted his time by enslaving him to me when he could have gone out and found another, much better girl.

He probably hated me now.

All I could do was to repeat over and over again inside my head, _it was for the best. Now David's free to find a girl who'll love him as much as he deserves, and I'm no longer worrying about what to do with him._

But I still couldn't get rid of that feeling. It was like when your stomach hurt when you were really hungry… except the pain wasn't physical, it was emotional.

_You'll get over it._

"Why do you look like you've just been deprived of a common necessity, of that which your body needs and lacks?"

It was Rebecca.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"It's just something I'm working on for school. I'm writing a report on this character of Greek & Roman Mythology who is condemned to eternity at a place where he can't get water and food although it's right in front of his eyes," Rebecca explained.

"You sort of look like you've just been denied something you really need. Did Theresa ground you or something?"

It was hard having a genius for a little sister.

But Rebecca's comment led to a thought. Do I look like I need David right now? Is that why I'm feeling empty?

Do I love him?

…

Nah.

But still…

Just as Rebecca grabbed some cookies and was about to go back to her room to contact the mother ship or whatever, I called out, "Hey, Rebecca."

She turned around.

"Can frissons be… um… _gone_ for periods of time? You know, can a person not feel frisson for a while when they love someone?" I tentatively asked.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow at me inquiringly.

"Just out of curiosity," I quickly added.

"Of course they can," she replied.

"Really?"

"Yes, frissons can be dormant for some time, and just reoccur again. It's very strange and random. No one knows why. But often, when frisson is dormant, people often wrongly believe that they have fallen out of love, or something. That's why people break up and regret it later on when the frisson comes back. Some people say that the whole frisson-on-and-off theory is why Brad Pitt keeps going back and forth between Angelina and Jennifer, but that's just a guess…" Rebecca lectured very scientist-like.

Rebecca's explanations left me breathless.

Was that what happened to me?

My frisson was just… dormant?

_Did I actually love David after all?_

Lightheaded, I stumbled into my room while Rebecca stared at me curiously.

I collapsed onto the bed.

If what Rebecca said had been true and my frisson had just been dormant, I would regret breaking up with David for the rest of my life.

XOXO

As I was lost deep in thought, Lucy and my parents entered the house.

Squealing with joy, Lucy danced into the living room. She hugged mom, then dad, yelping, "Oh, thank you, thank you, and thank you! I promise I won't let you down! I love you so much!" Then, she hugged them tighter a second time, and skipped into my room.

I didn't even notice her presence until she hugged me so tight that I was gasping for breath when she finally let me go.

"Congratulations. I see you got to keep your job," I remarked, forcing on a smile.

"When they went to the agency with me, and met all the people, they still weren't really convinced. But when the people there offered them a chance to see me actually doing a photo shoot, and saw the pictures of me, they agreed that I could work there as long as school came first," Lucy explained excitedly.

"They signed the release form, Sam! They signed it right there! My photos can be published!" She squealed and hugged me again. "Thank so much Sam. I'm still keeping my promise about taking you shopping with my first paycheck!"

Then she skipped out of my room to dance around the living room a little bit more.

I was really happy for Lucy, I truly was.

Now, Lucy was happy with the model job, mom and dad were satisfied that Lucy found a motivation for studying, Rebecca was always happy that she was getting closer to contacting extraterrestrial life, and David was probably happy that he was now free from me.

So why was I the only feeling lonely and bare inside?

XOXO

A/N

Poor Sam…

Here's a sneak peek at the next chapter:

xxx

There was David, inside the Burger Palace, eating… but he wasn't alone.

A girl was sitting across from him. A blonde girl. She was tall, skinny, and very attractive. She looked like the perfect girl for David.

She wasn't David's sister. David was an only child. Somehow, it angered me to see them together.

They were talking, eating burgers and fries… then suddenly, the blonde girl got up.

She went over to David's side of the table, sat down close to him, and hugged him.

My mouth fell open in shock. _What are you doing, David, pull away! Tell her you're _my_ boyfriend!_ Just then, I was reminded that David wasn't my boyfriend anymore.

Still, my heart was gripped by anxiety as I expected David to gently pull away, explaining that he had just broken up and wasn't ready to meet a new girl yet.

At first David, just sat there, being embraced by this blonde girl… then he lifted his arms… and he hugged her back.

He rested his head on her shoulder and held her close, as she tenderly stroked his head.

xxx


	10. Chapter 10

A/N

I had a tough time trying to think of how to keep the story going. I already have then ending all planned out… I'll spill the beans a little by telling you that this story will probably end with fifteen chapters, give or take a chapter or two.

Okay, no more bean-spilling!

My lips are sealed!

Well, not literally, because then it would be very hard to talk.

But you know what I mean.

Right?

xoxo

Chapter Ten

It had been three days since the break-up.

I was unaware of the time passing by, like sand slipping through my fingers.

I spent the days oblivious of what time, day, month, or even what day it was.

I just loitered about on my bed, shuffling songs on my iPod; reading a book, only to chuck it across the room when it got boring; and mostly just lying there, under my blanket, trying to become a snail and cut myself off from the world in which I felt too bare.

I ate, though I wasn't hungry. I drank, though I wasn't thirsty. I even watched a bit of TV with Rebecca, though my mind was wandering somewhere other than the island on which the survivors were stranded in "Lost."

I just simply didn't care.

When my mom asked me about why I wasn't at Susan's studio the day before, I lied that they were closed due to Susan being sick.

Hey, I might have been temporarily absent from reality for the past couple of days, but I wasn't as tactless as to go back to art class at the risk of facing David.

xoxo

"Gosh, you could have told me," Lucy said one day, closing the door of my bedroom before her.

I stuck my head out from under my shell, I mean, blanket, and inquired in a dull tone, "Tell you what?"

"Oh _please_," Lucy said annoyed, dismissing my question with a wave of her hand, "I'm not as out-of-touch as mom and dad are to not notice that you're either having some Guinness-record-PMS, or going through post-break-up."

Sheesh, leave it to your sister-who-has-read-every-Cosmo-issue-ever-published to undermine your secret for becoming a human hermit crab.

In a more concerned tone, Lucy asked, "Why did you guys break up? David's, like, gaga for you, and he's never given you reason for you to break up with him."

Hmm, that's a good question, Lucy. Why _did_ we break up? Possibly because of the fact that my stupid frisson decided to go dormant, causing me to perhaps, mistakenly, believe that I fell out of love with David, and he found out, and now he hates and loathes me for pity-dating him and wasting both of our times? Or was it because of something else?

Who cares? We've broken up! That's what matters! Who gives a thought to the cause? It's the effect that counts!

But of course, I wasn't going to tell Lucy any of this.

I looked at Lucy, trying to think of what I was going to say instead, but saw Lucy staring at me with her mouth hanging open.

"What?" I asked.

"You… fell… out… of… love… with… David?" Lucy questioned slowly, her jaw still not closed.

"How do you…" I was about to ask… then with horror and shock, I realized that I had just said my whole previous rant out loud. I had unconsciously been talking to myself out loud, without even knowing it, right in front of Lucy.

Well, there was a sign telling me it was about time to pay a visit to the sanitarium, was it not? Symptoms of lunacy number one: talking to oneself out loud, without even being aware of it.

"I… I…" I groped, trying to find the words that would not form on my tongue.

Then suddenly, Lucy hugged me real tightly.

I was thinking of pulling back… when I abruptly realized that a hug was something I had needed these days. I had been so lonely, with no one to turn to for help, and here was Lucy now, ready to listen and offer guidance… ready to be here for her little sister.

I hugged Lucy back, and out of nowhere, tears were pooling in my eyes. Those tears that hadn't come during my solitude under my blanket came rushing out at once, and I was now crying into my sister's Hollister tank top.

xoxo

Lucy gently pulled away, and handed me a Kleenex.

Still crying, I choked out, "I don't know why I fell out of love with him. The frisson was there as always, and one day, it was just gone. And now I hear from Rebecca that frissons can be dormant and I don't even know if I love him or not. But of course, that won't matter since he hates me now. And though I might not love him anymore, I still want to be friends… I don't even know my own feelings anymore!"

Lucy listened to all this rambling and sobbing patiently, and after handing me another Kleenex, she opened her mouth. "Well, I know it's really tough for you right now, Sam. But before you can handle anything with David, you have to sort yourself out first. I guess it all boils down to… do you love him now?"

"I told you, I don't know!" I half-yelled in frustration. My crying epidemic was now nearing an end, and its sequel of hiccups were taking place. "Lucy, how do you know if you love someone?"

Lucy bit her lip at this question. Then she hesitantly answered, "Well, I…" She met my eyes and answered apologetically, "To be honest with you, Sam, I don't know."

"But… you must know! Don't you love Jack?" I cried out desperately.

"I don't know... I really don't know what proof is there that I love Jack… I just… do," Lucy replied, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Sam, I really can't help you decide that. This is something you'll have to figure out on your own."

I sighed. There was only so much Lucy could help with concerning my romance issues. "Well, thanks, Lucy. I still really appreciate it that you're here for me… even though… you know… you couldn't help me figure out the last bit."

Lucy smiled sadly and gave me one last hug. "Just come to me whenever you feel lonely, all right?"

I nodded and smiled weakly.

And Lucy left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving me to ponder my problems in quiet solitude.

xoxo

The next day, I was surfing the net. Thank goodness it was Saturday. The house was so quiet due to Rebecca sleeping over at her friend's house, Lucy going shopping with mom, and my dad golfing with his friends. I had peace and quiet. Well, Theresa was here doing work as usual, but she never bothered me anyways.

Of course, I didn't really have a certain purpose going on the internet. I was absentmindedly clicking away, opening random bits of news articles on closing it, opening a new one, closing it, and so on.

Suddenly a pop-up advertisement blinked on the screen.

It read:

_**The way to love anything is to realize it might be lost.**_

_**-Chesterton-**_

**Prevent your marriage from going awry by seeing one of our professional marriage counselors right away! Find a way to escape divorce!**

**For more information, visit our webpage:**

**Click here!**

I closed the window without thinking much.

But even after the ad had been deleted, the quote lingered in my mind.

_The way to love anything is to realize it might be lost._

I rolled my eyes and pushed the thought out of my mind.

This whole David thing was occupying too much of my life.

Feeling a need to get out of the house and get some fresh air, I told Theresa that I was going to the park and left the house.

Of course, I didn't really go to the park.

Nah. I took the metro and wandered into the city where Susan's studio and Static was located. But I didn't really linger by Susan's, just in case she happened to spot me and started to question me about my absence yesterday.

I had fifteen bucks with me.

First, I treated myself to a snack from Capitol Cookies. Then, I went to an art supply store called Artiste and bought myself a new, spankin'… drawing pen.

Yeah, I'm an art geek… so sue me. Those pens are pretty expensive, you know… I mean, $9.99 for one pen!

I was planning out all the cool manga I could draw with the pen, when I suddenly become conscious of the fact that I wasn't thinking about David.

Sure, he was still in the corner of my mind, taking a stroll of his own around my brain to torment me… but still, I wasn't, like, _preoccupied_ with him.

Who needs David? What's the point of crying over spilled milk? He and I are broken up whether my frisson returns or not… and who knows? Maybe we can even be friends again!

Now uplifted at the thought, I wandered over to Burger Palace. I still had about three bucks; that was enough for a burger.

The neon lights of a picture of a burger and fries welcomed me to Burger Palace. I was about to saunter in when I saw something through the store windows that made me stop dead in my tracks.

There was David, inside the Burger Palace, eating… but he wasn't alone.

A girl was sitting across from him. A blonde girl. She was tall, skinny, and very attractive. She looked like the perfect girl for David.

She wasn't David's sister. David was an only child. Somehow, it angered me to see them together.

They were talking, eating burgers and fries… then suddenly, the blonde girl got up.

She went over to David's side of the table, sat down close to him, and hugged him.

My mouth fell open in shock. _What are you doing, David, pull away! Tell her you're _my_ boyfriend!_ Just then, I was reminded that David wasn't my boyfriend anymore.

Still, my heart was gripped by anxiety as I expected David to gently pull away, explaining that he had just broken up and wasn't ready to meet a new girl yet.

At first David, just sat there, being embraced by this blonde girl… then he lifted his arms… and he hugged her back.

He rested his head on her shoulder and held her close, as she tenderly stroked his head.

xoxo

I abruptly turned on my heels and walked away before David could look up from his passionate embrace and see me watching him. My brain wasn't really working. It was my feet that knew where to go. Thanks to my wonderful feet, I got on the metro and rode back home.

It was only when I locked myself in my room that my emotions caught up with me.

A little creature inside my chest clambered out from its home, picked up a hammer twice its size, and struck my heart with all its might.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Until my heart became blue and purple with bruises, sending ripples of pain with each pulse.

I was just so hurt. Seeing David there in the arms of another girl made me feel like I was completely shunned out of his life, with no chance of ever regaining my place.

And there was a pang of a different emotion. Another tiny creature tugging at the corner of my heart for attention.

_Hello, little fella, what's your name? I've already met your friend, Heartbreak. He wounded my heart with that hammer._

The pipsqueak piped back, _My name is Jealousy._

Jealousy.

How I would give anything to have traded places with that girl. To have a chance to hold David and apologize for everything.

How I longed to slap her across the face for even getting within a mile of David.

I was going to lose him. Completely.

Suddenly, I heard the voice of another being. _The way to love anything is to realize it might be lost._

The voice was much smaller than those of its predecessor's

_Who are you? Is it you, Heartbreak? Or is it Jealousy._

Two voices replied in unison. _No, we're neither. We're much weaker than them, but still equally important._

_What are your names?_

_We're siblings. Our names are hope and love._

xoxo

A/N

Did you like my figurative speech with the portrayal of emotions as tiny beings? I hope I didn't confuse you.

Sam is beginning to have serious second thoughts!

Do you think David should take her back?

I haven't been getting nearly as many reviews as I'd like. Please R & R!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N

Prepare yourself for another turning point in the story!

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Love? Hope? I don't even know the meaning of _love_ anymore, let alone _hope_ to find love again.

_Go away,_ I told my little-freak-of-nature-somehow-animated-live-beings-that-are-supposed-to-be-inanimate-emotions-thingies.

I shooed them into a dusty corner room of my mind and shut the door.

_You can't ignore us forever!_ They shouted.

_Yeah, yeah, tell that to your kin, the one with the hammer._

XOXO

_I was surrounded by fog. I didn't know where I was. I was all alone. _

"_Well, I've been alone for the past four days, I don't mind a bit of loneliness now." _

_I sat down on the ground, which I could not see, and drew my legs close to my chest._

_Suddenly, a shadow appeared ahead. It was moving… walking… towards me. I couldn't make out who it was. I jumped up in alarm._

_The figure was veiled by the white smog and its shadow's outline was blurred. Finally, the fog cleared and revealed the face of whom it had been covering with its hand._

_"David?" I exclaimed in shock._

_"Sam, we need to talk." His face was grave and serious._

_"Oh David, I've wanted to talk to you so much! I'm so, so sorry. My emotions ran amok and I didn't even realize my feelings anymore. I'm still not very clear about them right now, but what I do know for sure is that I don't want to lose you. I want to stay…"_

_"…friends?" He asked with a sad smile._

_"Yes," I replied. "Friends."_

_"It's too late for that now, Sam. If we stayed as friends, the hurt that I received, it would be too much for me, you know? Every time I see you I would remember when you loved me and despair at the fact that our love has dwindled down to mere friendship," he said unhappily._

_My heart doubled over at the fact that David was this pained by my actions. Then, I suddenly found myself asking the question that I so longed to find the answer to… the question that would perhaps sort out my feelings for David at last. _

"_Do… do you still… love me? After all I've done… after I hurt you like that? Because… I never intended to hurt you! I was always hoping that somehow… my love for you would return someday if I continued to be with you… Do you love me?" I asked hopefully._

_Maybe if David still loved me, I could love him back. Maybe we could get together again. Maybe everything would return to as it once was._

_"Sam… I…" David started to reply._

_Then suddenly, David disappeared. He was just… gone… without a trace. Fog filled the air again._

_"David!" I shouted out frantically._

_There was no reply but a cackle. An evil cackle._

_"Who are you?" I asked fearfully. "What have you done with my boyfriend?"_

_"_Your _boyfriend? Don't you mean your ex-boyfriend? Well, too bad, but he's mine now!" The voice screeched back in glee._

_The smog cleared once again to reveal… not David… but that girl who had embraced him at the Burger Palace!_

_She was cackling and aglow in all her beautiful, yet treacherous glory, her long, blonde hair flying in all directions, yet still making her look like one of the paintings of mighty goddesses in ancient temples._

_Then, she held up a clear, crystal bottle, shut tight with a stopper adorned with glittering diamonds._

_At first, I thought, "What the heck?" then as I looked closer, I was horrified to find that David was inside the bottle. Trapped. Under her control._

_Furious, I lunged for the bottle in an ill-fated attempt to rescue David._

_The girl, smirking, simply stepped out of the way._

_Then I was about to hit the ground face first when the ground abruptly gave way._

_I fell… and fell… and fell… into the unending chasm of goodness-knows-what._

XOXO

Sunday.

Two more days and on Tuesday, David would turn eighteen.

I was seriously going insane. This whole break-up was messing with my mind. First, I was talking to little beings inside my head that were supposedly my emotions, but who knows if they were some devil-sent demons come to possess me? Then, I had that total whacked-out psycho dream about spilling my heart out to David and having him snatched away by that blonde goddess girl.

Samantha Madison was losing it. Big time.

If only I could just solve this damned do-I-love-David-or-not issue, I would be at rest and actually do something about all this rather than talking to my own feelings or having crazy dreams.

I collapsed into the living room sofa and turned on the TV.

_Oh please,_ I begged the television, _brainwash me with all your crappy shows so that I might somehow forget that this ordeal never happened. Brainwash me. I am at your disposal._

The TV turned on to reveal a channel on which the president was giving a speech. I absentmindedly lent my ear to the president's monologue.

My eyes were vacant. I must have looked like a zombie with no soul.

All of a sudden, the camera briefly turned away from the president to scan the audience. And as it rotated back towards the president, the camera briefly lingered on… David.

David was right there in front of my eyes on TV. His hair was combed, his face composed, and he was wearing a suit. And his green eyes flickered over to the screen. I felt as if he was looking directly at me.

My heart did a flip.

Then it felt all warm and fuzzy.

Then it did another summersault, this one bigger than its predecessor.

Frisson.

XOXO

All these thoughts came pouring out at once.

That jerk, Bryant.

My frisson's dormancy.

Its return.

The blonde girl.

Jealousy.

Fear of losing him.

_The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost._

…

Among the jumble of bits and pieces, one whole picture arranged itself in my mind.

And it became clear.

Clearer than that crystal bottle from the dream.

I loved David.

* * *

A/N

Huh... whoever knew frisson could be dormant? Like winter hibernation...sort of.

Well, spring must have come at last, since Sam's frisson is all blooming-and-up-and-at'em again!

Will David take her back?

Will Sam wallow in misery for the rest of her life?

Or... will she find another guy? Gasp.

Who knows?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N

I have nothing to say.

Just read with great anticipation.

What did I just tell you? JUST READ!

Chapter Twelve

Well, that was a big help.

I now finally figured out with my stupid brain that I loved David.

It was like a repeat of last year.

I was finding out that I loved David… all over again.

Except last year, it wasn't too late.

We hadn't broken up or anything, so it was easy for us to get back together again.

But what about this time?

We broke up, he has that hot blonde chick, and he hates me.

So…

What now?

_Lucy._ My "hope" emotion whispered.

_I thought I'd banished you and your sib to the room in the corner forever._

_Well, you forgot to lock the door, stupid._

That was swell. My emotions were getting ahead of me. (a/n: no pun intended)

_Huh, I won't make that mistake again._

Hope rolled its eyes. _Whatever, as I was saying, find Lucy. She'll know what to do. _

The room I had shut them away in now creaked open, and out peeked Love. Strangely, Love looked much larger than before. Healthier, merrier… just larger.

_Is it just me, or have you taken growth pills? _I asked, narrowing my eyes.

_I've been growing. Frisson woke up, so now I'm bigger. Can I come out now? Frisson is calling me._ It squeaked.

_No. Sorry Love, but I think it's too late now. Your friend Frisson decided to take a nap at the wrong time and messed everything up. Yeah, thanks, bye._

I shut the door as Love yelped and pulled its head back inside just in time to avoid the door from closing on its head.

_It's never too late for Love. _Hope said.

_Yeah, well let's see if Model Lucy can help me… I doubt it._

I pulled away from yet another mental talk with my emotions and set out to find out when Lucy would get home.

I definitely loved David.

But would he love _me_?

XOXO

The minute I heard the front door open, I scurried over like a dog expecting his owner.

"Sam! Sam!" Lucy called out as she entered. When she saw me, her face lit up with excitement. "Oh Sam! There you are! I was hoping you weren't out somewhere! Look, I have to tell you some---"

"Lucy! Come with me! Now!" I interrupted. Then, I yanked her into my room, dragging her and her seven bags of shopping "memorabilia."

I locked the door and wheeled around to face her.

"Sam, this is imp---"

I cut her off again.

"I love David," I said in one breath. "I don't know how, but I was watching TV, and there was David, and he looked at me, and my heart did a funny thing, and at first I didn't realize it because it hadn't happened in a long time, and then it did a flip, and then I knew it was frisson, and I couldn't believe it, and that jerk Bryant… and that blonde chick… but still, I love David, he looked at me from the screen, and it felt like he was looking at me. _Me_. But I know for sure now, but I'm worried that he hates me now, and there's no hope, but I want him back so bad… and… and…"

I trailed off to take a breath.

Lucy's eyes twinkled. "So are you sure you love him?" she asked, as if to confirm my previous rabble.

"Yes."

"You're sure you want him back?"

"Yes."

"You're sure you don't want to lose him to another girl?"

"You're _positive_ that you love him?"

"Yes, Lucy, yes! What's with the all the questions?" I shouted in frustration. "I thought I just made it clear! And now I come to you for help, but you're interrogating the validity of my confession? I LOVE HIM!"

Lucy beamed. That's right; she _beamed_ with the gorgeous brightness of a thousand suns.

"I know what you should do," she said, still beaming.

I leaned in closer, ears open.

"Go. To. David's. Party.On. Tuesday." She enunciated each word clearly.

I gasped in horror.

"I can't do that! I can't show myself! He hates me! I'd be ruining his whole birthday!"

"Well, how else are you going to see him?" Lucy asked primly.

I opened my mouth, but no good reply came out… simply because there were none. "A… a… uh… art class," I stammered defensively.

Lucy snorted. "Yeah right, and you're planning to confess your love for him in front of all those people sitting behind their easels?"

I made no reply.

"And what are you going to say?"

Again, silence.

"Listen, if you at least go to his party, he'll know that you're sorry. Plus, David's smart enough to figure out that if you came to his party, it means you want to be on good terms. You can talk to him while golfing together."

I pondered this… and shook my head.

"I wouldn't know what to say," I muttered.

"Well, you're not going to have to write a speech! Just honestly tell him how you feel!" Lucy said, exasperated, her beam no longer existent.

"I can't."

Lucy just stared.

I shook my head even more, now wanting to cry.

I was going to have to give it up.

Samantha Madison was just too cowardly to talk to the love of her life.

"Thanks Lucy," I muttered. I then slumped over on my bed and pulled the blanket over me to signify our conversation was over.

After five minutes of me just lying there under my blanket, and Lucy sitting motionlessly at the edge of my bed, Lucy spoke. "Well, if you're too chicken to tell him, _I will_," she said with an edge to her voice.

Instantly sitting up and sending the blanket flying, I shouted, "NO!"

If I knew Lucy correctly, she'd tell David everything and even more, adding little fabrications she thought suitable, such as "Sam kisses a picture of you every night before she goes to bed."

"Then go to the party," Lucy threatened.

"Is that a threat?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Maybe it is," she replied coolly. "Go to the party and tell him yourself, or else I'll tell him _for_ you."

"That's blackmail!" I whined.

All wound up, I slumped back and let out a groan.

"Lucy, _I can't face David._ I just can't," I moaned.

Lucy sighed. Then she piped up, "Fine. How about you just go to the party for five minutes?"

"What difference does that make?"

"Just drop off the present you got for him." Lucy gestured to the bag with the card and t-shirt I had entirely forgotten about.

"Or else, it'll just go to waste. Just go to the party, find the table where all his presents are piled up, add your gift, and leave. He'll at least know you dropped by, and maybe he'll find you to talk to later. Then you won't have to do the talking," Lucy explained.

I thought about this. If I was quick, I could come and leave without even having to face David. He would be busy greeting all his other guests as well. Plus, Lucy was right. The gift would just go to waste.

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly.

"Great! I'll drive you there on Tuesday!" Lucy beamed again, and skipped out of my room.

I hoped with all my life that an encounter with David could be avoided.

XOXO

Tuesday.

Where did Monday go? Monday had zipped by in the blink of an eye, and here I was, in the car with David's present on my lap, and Lucy whistling as she drove to the mini-golf park, which David had rented for the day.

My hands were clammy.

"Lucy, I can't do this," I pleaded.

"Oh please. You just go in there, set your gift down, and leave! What's so hard about that?"

I bit my lip.

Suddenly, Lucy's cell phone rang.

I yelped in surprise.

"Sheesh, ease up, will you?" Lucy said, annoyed. "It's only my friend calling."

Lucy flipped open the top and answered, "Yeah?"

I couldn't hear the person on the other line, but Lucy was saying, "Yeah… that's right… one thirty _sharp_, Av. One thirty, not a minute earlier or later. OK? See you in a bit, Av."

Lucy saw me looking at her and she quickly hung up.

"Who was that?" I asked, hoping to get my mind off the nervousness.

"Oh, a friend I'm meeting soon."

I glanced at the clock above the car's sound system.

"One thirty is only five minutes away. Won't you be late?"

"Nah, it's fine," Lucy shrugged off.

"Whatever." If Lucy was going to be late to her meeting on purpose, I didn't care.

"Okay, we're here." Lucy pulled into the parking lot and parked.

As I slowly got out of the car, Lucy did too.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously.

"Going with you," she said matter-of-factly, "just in case you chicken out in the middle."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I said. I could use the support.

I walked into the indoor mini-golf park.

It was brightly lit, and the sound of laughter, chatter, and the occasional roar from the stuffed gorilla robot at hole 8 could be heard. There were balloons and streamers everywhere, and a banner that read, "Happy Birthday, David."

It was like a party an eight-year-old would throw. But still, the people seemed to be having fun. There were mostly geeky guys but some girls, all from Horizon. I wondered if that blonde chick was here. She probably was getting cozy with David at a hole, neglecting the putting she should have been doing.

I didn't have to look long to find a table piled with presents so high, a man could stand behind it and I wouldn't notice.

I quickly walked over to the table, and Lucy followed.

I glanced at my watch: One thirty.

"I'm sorry you're going to be late, Lucy," I apologized.

"No problem, all is well," Lucy responded, smiling.

I set down my bag by a box wrapped with sparkly wrapping paper as green as David's eyes, when suddenly, David appeared from behind the pile of presents.

"Ow, what the heck? Okay, stop pushing, I can walk for my self," he muttered to someone I couldn't see concealed behind the pile of gifts he had just emerged from.

My eyes widened, and David's eyes got even bigger than mine as he saw me.

"Sam!" he let out a gasp of surprise.

Giggling, whoever was behind the pile streaked out and ran into the colorful maze of holes where the people were playing.

I couldn't see her face, but I caught a glimpse of blonde hair before she disappeared.

Horror-stricken, I turned to Lucy for help… but she was gone.

I faced David again with my mouth slightly open, at a loss for words.

His green eyes just stared into mine.

XOXO

A/N

I know most of this chapter was boring, but the next one won't be!!!!

Aaah! Go ahead, I know you're screaming already, might as well scream louder.

David and Sam finally met up and this time, Sam's sure about her feelings!

But what about David's?

Await the next chapter with anticipation muhahahaha (evil cackle)

(whisper) Maybe a lot of reviews will motivate me to post the next chapter sooner! But ssh! You didn't hear it from me!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Those green eyes as green as… grass.

Hey, I'm not a wordy person, so get off my back.

But those eyes just held my gaze, and I felt like I was being sucked into a whirl of jade and emerald twilights.

An eternity and a half went by.

Suddenly, a whoop of "Yeah, baby! Hole in one!" snapped me back to reality, dragging me out of the sea of green.

Not thinking nor saying a word I turned around and started to march towards the exit.

_Sam, you idiot._

_Coward._

With each step that took me away from David, Love and Hope shrank bit by bit.

_You were right there. You should have confessed everything,_ they sighed.

As my fingers closed around the door handle, Love and Hope had dwindled down to the size of a mustard seed, when a hand closed around my right elbow.

I didn't need to turn to know that it was David.

Trying to stop the tears that were now pooling in my eyes, I was about to wrench my arm from his grip.

But I didn't have a chance to.

At that moment, David whipped me around by the elbow to face him… and pulled me into a tight embrace.

He hugged me so tightly… like there would never be another chance in the world he would see me again.

…

He probably wasn't going to… see me again, I mean.

That was because I, Samantha Madison, was going to do the right thing for once in my life… and let David go.

I was going to end it once and for all, though it pained me to cut out that little piece of my heart and throw it away.

He would meet a better girl, and be happy.

So, blinking my tears away, and taking a deep breath, I raised my arms which had been hanging limply by my side (since I hadn't hugged David back anyways)… and pulled out of his embrace, pushing him away.

The bewildered and hurt look on David's face made me instantly regret what I had just done, but ignoring Love and Hope's protests, I willed my feet to stay rooted in place, and not to take a single step towards David.

Covering half of my face with my right hand to somewhat hide my contorted expression and trembling lips, I opened my mouth to speak.

"David, I… I…" But the words just rolled off my tongue, unformed and meaningless.

David's hurt look now melted into an unreadable expression as grim as stone. With a glint in his eyes, he took my hand and dragged me over to hole one.

"Wha- What are you doing?"

"You came to my party, so I'm insisting you play at least a round before you go," he said with an air of command.

"B- but… I didn't come to play golf."

David wheeled around to face me, his face still indecipherable. "Then why did you come?" He demanded quietly.

"To drop off your gift and… to… to…" I couldn't finish the sentence. I couldn't say _to end our relationship._

"Just two holes, then."

I looked into David's eyes. They gave away no emotion, but I did glimpse a wisp of plead and desperation.

I dropped my gaze.

"Fine. Two holes," I agreed reluctantly.

David went off and came back with a club, a ball, a scorecard, and a mini-pencil.

"I don't need a scorecard," I muttered. "I'm only staying for…"

"Two holes," he finished for me. "But you still get a score in those, nevertheless."

I took the items from him, dropped the ball on the ground, and lightly smacked the ball, not particularly aiming at anything.

The ball rolled over the green carpeting and amazingly went straight into the hole.

"Hole in one, congratulations," David said softly.

Why couldn't my life be as simple as a hole in one?

Instead, it was filled with bumps, ridges, sand traps, waterholes, and sometimes, it just went totally off the green.

I marked a "1" in the first box on the scorecard and moved on.

I was about to putt the ball again, when David interrupted by lightly tapping my shoulder.

"You forgot to take a trivia card," he reminded me.

I looked to my right, and there were a stack of cards lying facedown on a small table someone had set up by the hole. Beside the stack, stood a box half-filled with answered cards, and a sign, saying: TAKE A TRIVIA CARD. CIRCLE THE ANSWER, WRITE YOUR NAME, PLACE IT IN THE BOX TO ENTER A DRAWING AT THE END OF THE PARTY.

The cards reminded me of when David and I had made them… together. And we had kissed, and I had decided to always stay with David.

Well, things were way different now.

I reached out to take the top one, when David interrupted again.

"Ah… I have a special trivia card for you. It's not in that pile. I have it." Then reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a card and handed it to me, facedown.

It was the same white color and same size as those other cards in the stack. I didn't see any difference.

Staring suspiciously at him, I took the card from his hands. My eyes never left his while I flipped over the card to read it. He still looked serious, but was that a hint of eagerness I saw in his eyes?

After a moment or two, I broke eye contact and gazed down at the card.

It read:

_Please circle either true or false and return to David._

_True or false: Sam loves David._

I barely stopped myself from gasping.

This was it.

This was the moment to circle _false_ and end everything.

To let him go.

With a shaky hand, I raised my mini-pencil to circle my answer, when David suddenly said, "I… I'm hoping your reply will be the same as the real answers to all the other trivia questions."

He paused a moment before adding softly, "Because my answer would be…"

It took me a while to comprehend what he had just said.

_Same as the real answers to all the other trivia questions?_ The answers to all the questions were "true." He had told me that they were all facts.

So…

…

He was hoping my answer would be _true_?

He wanted me back?

My incredulity was only heightened by the second part of what he had said: "Because my answer would be…"

His answer would be the same too…

_True_.

He would answer _true_.

He loved me.

He _loved_ me.

_He loved me._

…

I now knew what to say.

I now had a complete understanding of the perfect answer to give him.

Biting my lip, I handed my card back to David, unmarked.

David furrowed his brows, silently asking why I hadn't circled a choice.

"I'm sorry David… but I can't answer that question," I said solemnly.

His stone expression gave way to incredible disappointment and sadness.

I paused a while before adding, "Because 'true' isn't _nearly_ strong enough to describe the genuineness of how I feel for you."

Silence.

Then David's face slowly broke out in a big grin as he took in my words. A true, happy grin.

It was the most beautiful thing I'd seen in years.

XOXO

A/N

Yeah, I'm sorry, I lied.

The story won't end with twenty chapters, but fourteen (maybe fifteen, depends on whether I want to break up the ending into two chapters or not).

I didn't think I could squeeze everything into fifteen chapters, but I guess I can.

…

Wow, the story is almost coming to an end.

BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET!

Look out for yet another chapter coming your way!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

How long we had hugged, I didn't know.

But when we finally broke apart, I saw brightness in David's eyes that had not been there a minute ago. He hugged me again, and this time topped it off with a short, but strong kiss.

All of a sudden I heard applause. Not the ovation of everyone in the golf park (how deadly embarrassing it would have been…), but the scattered, small applaud of one or two people.

I turned around to see Lucy walking towards me and David… with that blonde beauty David had hugged close at her side.

Oh my goodness, I had _completely_ forgotten about David's new girlfriend. Had he just kissed me in front of her? Had I gotten him into trouble? Scared, I looked up to see what shocked expression David had on his face… to find that he merely looked confused.

Lucy beamed at us and nudged the blonde knockout, saying happily, "See Av? I knew this would work! Nothing can keep Sam and David apart for long. They were _made_ for each other."

"I totally agree, Luce. And you were right, they _do_ look adorable together!" the girl replied.

By now, my shock and fright was completely replaced by pure confusion. Did David's girlfriend just _agree_ with Lucy that David and I belong together?

My bewilderment deepened as she held out her hand and said, "Hi Samantha! It's so nice to meet you after hearing so much from Lucy and David. You look so much prettier in person, did you know that? The TV cameras do not do you justice."

And then something clicked. I got it. She and David were playing some mean joke on me to rub it in my face that David was no longer in my life. They had even gotten Lucy to take part in it! The tower of hope and love that had skyrocketed within me now tumbled down. Somehow, I was able to stay calm as I held up my hands and backed up, away from her, away from David, and away from Lucy.

"Okay look, I'm sorry I hugged and kissed your guy. You've made your point, he's yours," I told her. Then I turned to all three of them and voiced angrily, "You know, you could have broken the news to me that David had a new girlfriend in some form other than a mean _prank_. I'm out of here."

I marched towards the door when David suddenly held my right wrist, refusing to let go. My wrist was now burning at the contact with David and I could feel it pulsing quicker and quicker, but I wrenched it out of his grip.

"Going to give me another fake "Sam loves David" trivia card"?" I asked heatedly.

Then I noticed that David was trying to suppress a grin. He thought this was funny!

I was about to punch him like I did Bryant when he blurted out, "Sam, she is _not_ my girlfriend."

"Oh yeah right," I retorted. "I saw the two of you that day embracing at Burger Palace."

David frowned as he asked, "You were there?" in a surprised tone.

"Long enough to see that you two were pretty cozy!" I snapped back.

The blonde girl, whom I loathed and wanted to slap really hard at the moment, hurried over to where David and I were standing.

She held out her hand to me again as she said, "Sam, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Avia… I'm David's cousin."

…

…

Cousin… did she really just say that? _Cousin!_ The angry words I had just been about to say stuck in my throat and degenerated as I felt my face redden considerably. But at the same time, hope and love just shot up right back.

"At the Burger Palace," she explained, "David was telling me about how things had sort of ended with you. He was really hurt. I listened and tried to comfort him."

Lucy came into the conversation. "When Av told me David still wanted you back, and I knew you wanted David back, I thought today was a good time for you two to settle things out. I told Av to bring David over to the pile of presents so that you guys could meet. Luckily for David, he had that clever trivia card at hand to convince you back." She turned to David and inquired, "How _did _you happen to have the card? You didn't know Sam was coming!"

David scratched his head and said sheepishly, "I, uh, carried that card around with me since Sam and I last saw each other. I don't know why, I just couldn't forget her." He glanced at me and smiled warmly while my already florid face blushed some more.

"I'm… um… terribly sorry," I managed to squeak as I took the hand Avia was still holding out. "I... thought…"

"That's alright," she said with a warm smile. I noticed that way she smiled was similar to the way David smiled. I guessed it was a family resemblance.

Looking down at my shoes, I muttered, "I'm so sorry David. Gosh, I'm so _stupid,_ always jumping to the wrong conclusions. I don't even know why you'd want to be with someone like me…"

My rambling was cut short by David lifting my chin to meet his green eyes. "I don't think I have enough time to tell you why I want to be with you. It'd take too long. Why not just sum it up zero words?" And then he kissed me so sweetly that I didn't care about Lucy and Avia watching.

"You're a very good summarizer," I joked when he let me go.

I glanced at Lucy and Avia to find them giggling and chatting quietly.

"Say, how do you two know each other?" I asked them suspiciously.

Lucy grinned at her friend and said, "Modeling. We met at the agency. Av actually lives in Chicago but was visiting her uncle for the summer, and boom! She was called to the agency by the same woman who got me into it. And then I found out she was David's older cousin, and things just flowed together from then on."

How would I ever repay them? How would I ever repay Lucy? She had helped me out with my problems concerning David so many times, I wished she would fall out of love with Jack so that I could help her for a change!

I grabbed each of Lucy and Avia's hands. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without you guys."

"Aww, Sam it was nothing!" they both said at once.

"I just pushed my little sister in the right direction," Lucy said, giving me a one of her choking embraces.

"And I'd do anything for my little cousin," said Avia fondly as she, too, gave David a hug.

"Thanks, cuz," David said, squeezing her back.

Lucy looked at the clock on her cell phone. "Wow, look at the time. Well, Av and I are going to the mall before it closes. David, happy birthday! I'll see you around later."

"Happy birthday, David," Avia said, "I'll see you later at dinner. Another white house burger night, yum! And Sam, it was so nice meeting you."

Then the two gorgeous femme fatales I was so lucky to be acquainted with walked off together, laughing and gossiping.

David snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me close. "So, plan on going anywhere soon?"

I pretended to seriously think about this question. "Well, I guess I have a _bit_ of time to kill. Oh, why not, I'll stay."

"Excellent." He then got us two new scorecards and we began to play mini golf like the two geeks we were. I even gave David a smooch for every hole in one he scored.

During the course of our round, he introduced me to his friends as we came across them. At the end of the party, he revealed the answer to his trivia cards (to everyone's utter shock and laughter), and everyone ended up getting goodies, whether they had gotten the answer right or not.

With all the people gone, David and I plopped down onto a colorful bench. As I rested my head on his chest, he asked, "So, care to tell me anytime soon what kind of strange funk you were in? Did you really not care for me anymore?"

Feeling his heartbeat against my cheeks, I took a while before taking a deep breath and beginning to talk. "Once upon a time," I narrated, "there was a girl. She loved the boy she was with, and everything was perfect. One day, she drew a pineapple on her heart when there actually wasn't one. Confused, she wasn't able to see her actual heart and… she acted rashly. After finally realizing her mistake and erasing the pineapple, she didn't think the guy would ever forgive her for what she'd done. But it turned out that the boy loved her nevertheless despite her strange, drawing-nonexistent-pineapples-and-jumping-to-conclusions personality. She became happy once again with the boy and now plans never to risk losing him again."

After I had finished, I looked up to see if David was ogling at me in a "What kind of psycho are you, babbling about pineapples?" way.

Instead, his face was thoughtful as he replied, "Next time the girl mistakenly draws a pineapple, the boy would like the girl to let him know so that he can _help_ her set things right."

I grinned. "The girl promises to do so."

"Well, boy is happy."

"Girl is happy."

And as the mini golf park staff began to clean up the after-party mess, David and I shared a kiss on the colorful bench to the sound of vacuuming, like the geeks we were.

XOXO

A/N

Last chapter, chapter 15, to be up soon.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen (Epilogue)

The next Thursday found me in Susan's studio, happily preparing my sketchbook. I was smiling a lot nowadays. I woke up smiling, took a shower smiling, patted Rebecca on her head smiling (though this produced a scowl on Rebecca), and even smiled at the dinner table.

"Gosh, you are going through, like, anti-PMS," Lucy had teased.

As I clipped my sketchbook to the easel, Bryan plopped down into the stool beside me. He glared at me and gave a small sneer. The region beneath his left eye was still a bit purple from last week.

I simply gave him a huge grin and laughed inwardly as he narrowed his eyes in confusion and turned his face away, muttering under his breath.

A minute later, David strode in, wearing a zipped-up brown jacket despite the 85º heat outside.

"Isn't it a bit warm for a jacket, Romeo?" Bryan asked snidely.

David grinned at him.

Bryan was probably wondering why David an I, the couple whose paradise he had ruined like a hurricane, were both grinning whenever he gave a nasty remark.

David produced an awfully familiar bag out of nowhere and handed it to Bryan. "This may seem awfully corny and first-grade, but never mind that. What it says is a heartfelt message from me," he gestured to himself, "to you," he finished by opening his arms wide toward Bryan as if he was about to give him a brotherly embrace.

"Is this some kind of religious, "love your enemies" session?" Bryan muttered as he opened the bag and drew out its content.

It was a t-shirt.

It was a black t-shirt.

It was a black t-shirt with a message on it.

It was the same black t-shirt I had given to David on his birthday present.

_Roses are red, violets are blue. My girlfriend loves me… well, you should get one too!_

My questioning at whether David had given my present to Bryan was instantly replaced by laughter at seeing Bryan's dark expression.

It was as satisfying as seeing him go sprawling across the stairs all over again.

"Haha, very funny. I'll use it as a smock," he replied.

Then he simply stuffed the t-shirt into a bag leaning on his stool. He didn't rip it or chuck it back at David. Maybe he was being a bit decent for once.

I went back to my question of whether that was the exact shirt I had given to David. "David, where is _your_ t-shirt? Is that the exact same one I…"

At that moment, David unzipped his jacket to reveal a black t-shirt inside. Except this t-shirt was a bit different from the one I had bought for him. The words "Well, you should get one," David had been covered by black duct tape that bore the words David had written with white-out.

It now read: _Roses are red, violets are blue. My girlfriend loves me… and I love her too._

There it went. Frisson all over again. I stood on my tiptoes and gave David a big smooch, ignoring Bryan's "Oh, get a room!"

Soon enough, we heard Susan's claps signaling for us to sit down. As she unveiled what we would be drawing today, David leaned over and whispered, "Hey Sam, Avia invited me to come watch her at a small runway show at nine tonight."

"Yeah, Lucy invited our family too. My parents and Rebecca are going. Are you going?"

"Only if you are. Actually, I don't think I have a choice. I owe Avia for what happened on Tuesday. But you know I need a shoulder to sleep on when the music starts playing and the heels start strutting." He started to poke me.

"So bring a pillow." I playfully swatted his poking hand away.

"Please? I promise I won't drool."

"I'll think about it, snoozer." Then I turned to my sketchbook, picked up my pencil, and began to sketch, wondering what I should wear to that runway show tonight.

The End 

A/N

I'd like to thank all my readers and especially those who left wonderful reviews. I don't know what I'll write next. I have a lot of stories I have started, but they are not works based off an existing one and I cannot post them on Perhaps I'll go to Anyway, thanks for sticking with Sam until the end, and look out for more stories!


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